Bryggen Runic inscription 145


Bryggen inscription 145 is a runic inscription on a wooden stick found among the medieval rune-staves of Bergen. It has four sides, and dates to around the year 1200. It is notable not only for containing a rare Skaldic love poem in the form of a complete dróttkvætt stanza, but also a quote from the classical Latin poet Virgil, illustrating the coexistence of native Norse and Classical education in medieval Norway.

Inscription

The lines §A, §B and §D have all been carved by the same hand, while §C appears to have been executed by another, less experienced rune-carver.
Transliteration from Scandinavian Runic-text Database, with minor changes.

Interpretation

Old West Norse and Latin normalization

Note that lundi is emendated from the nonsensical and metrically faulty uihdi of the inscription.

English translation

The first helmingr is relatively straight forward. It translates :
Simplified, this means:
Finally, the Latin quote at the end is from Eclogue X by Virgil, and means "Love conquers all; let us, too, yield to love!".

Literature

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